Fellowship Council - Display Listing

Program Director(s):
Ragui W Sadek
Lora Melman

Description:

The Robert Wood Johnson Unversity Hospital Advanced GI/MIS Bariatric anf Foregut fellowship is a high volume yet extremely personalized program. Our mission is to provide a structured educational experience necessary to achieve expertise in Minimally Invasive Surgery focusing on techniques relating to Advanced GI and Bariatric and Foregut Surgery. We emphasize excellence in three areas: education, evidence based medicine, and research. Fellows will have access to a broad case mix including bariatrics, foregut, complex endoscopic, complex hernia, and complex robotic surgery. Moreover fellows will have access to one-on-one training experience with leaders in the field. We strive to train the next generation of innovators and leaders in surgery.

Basic Program Information:

Location: Somerset, New Jersey
Primary Program Site: Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas University Hospital, Rutgers RWJ Medical School New Brunswick, NJ
Primary Hospital: Total bed size, # OR's, # Surgical ICU beds: Total Beds: 965, Number of OR's: 25, Number of Sur
Secondary Program Site: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, NJ
Secondary Hospital: Total bed size, # OR's, # Surgical ICU beds: Total Beds: 153, Number of OR's: 14, Number of Sur
Clinic locations and schedule: Operative Schedule:

Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas University Hospital (primary)

1 Robert Wood Johnson Place, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Wed-Fri: 7:30am-5pm

Tues: 7:30am-1pm

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (secondary)

1 Hamilton Health Place, Hamilton Twp, NJ 08690

Tues: 7:30am-1pm

Ambulatory Surgical Pavilion at Robert Wood Johnson

10 Plum Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Tues: 7am-9am

Thurs: 7am-9am (1st thursday of the month)

Clinic Schedual:

Advanced Surgical and Bariatrics of NJ

81 Veronica Avenue Ste 205, Somerset NJ 08873

Mon-Thurs: 9am-5pm

Tues: 2pm-6pm

Fri: 9am-4pm

Advanced Surgical and Bariatrics of NJ

479 County Road Route 520, Ste 203A, Marlboro NJ 07746

Mon-Thurs: 9am-5pm

Tues: 2-6pm

Advanced Surgical and Bariatrics of NJ

10 Forresteal Road South Ste 101, Princeton NJ 08540

Thurs: 2pm-5pm

Advanced Surgical and Bariatrics of NJ

579 Cranbury Road Suite D, East Brunswick NJ 08816

Mon: 9am-12pm

Thurs: 1pm-5pm

Advanced Surgical and Bariatrics of NJ

2 Lincon Hwy Ste 100B, Edision NJ 08820

Mon: 9am-1pm

Advanced Surgical and Bariatrics of NJ

1670 Whitehorse Hamilton Square Road Ste 3, Hamilton NJ 08619

Mon: 1pm-5pm
University Affiliation: Rutgers State University (New Brunswick Campus)
School of Medicine Affiliation: Rutgers (Robert Wood Johnson) Medical School
Year Program and/or Designation Established: 2021
Number of Faculty: 6
% of Program Clinical: 90
% of Program Research: 10

Additional Program Information:

Interaction with Residents: Do not share cases with residents
Is there a General Surgery Residency at the Primary Institution? Yes
Is there a General Surgery Residency at the Secondary Institution? No
Is there a curriculum in place for fellowship? Yes
Is there a skills lab at the institution with fellow access? No
Are there teaching conferences available for the fellow? Yes
Is there an evaluation tool for fellow by faculty in place? Yes
Is there an evaluation tool for faculty by fellow in place? Yes
Papers Accepted For Publication where PD was an author: 4
Publications that Involved Input from the Fellow: 0
Are funds available for the Fellow to attend conferences? No

Malpractice Insurance Information:

The fellow(s) is also required to have attending privileges (insurance coverage must also include all activities for their work while they act as a fellow and an attending) and the program provides the following:
Claims-based malpractice coverage including a tail for the statute of limitations

Contact Information For Questions:

Andrew Wassef
Phone: 732-640-5316 option 115 or 609-933-1730
Fax: 800-689-2361
Email: andreww@advancedsab.com
Web: https://www.bariatricsurgerynewjersey.com/fellowship

Facilities

Dry Lab
Wet lab
Library
Administrative Support
Basic Science Research
Clinical Research

Citizenship and Visa Requirements:

Medical School Requirements:

We ONLY accept graduates of U.S. or Canadian Medical Schools

Examinations and Certifications:

Applicants must have passed the USMLE/COMLEX Step 1, 2, & 3 exams

Applicants must have passed the USMLE/COMLEX Step 1 & 2 exams or the Medical Council of Canada Evaluation Exam (MCCEE)

Applicants must have passed the TOEFEL exam

Applicants must have had at least 2 years of prior training in an ACGME accredited residency or fellowship (or Canadian equivalent)

Applicants who are ABS or Canadian Board Eligible or Certified

Applicants who hold a General Surgery specialty certificate from a Board or College outside of U.S. or Canada at the beginning of the fellowship

Applicants must have had at least 2 years of prior training in an AOA (American Osteopathic Association) accredited residency or fellowship

Applicants must be AOBS (American Osteopathic Board of Surgery) eligible or certified

Licensure Requirements and Information:

All applicants are required to have completed a US general surgery residency. All applicants are required to receive NJ state medical licensure in order to begin fellowship. This process may take 3-5 months. As such we encourage accepted fellows to immediately begin the application process. Please use the following url to access state license information.

www.njconsurmeraffairs.gov/bme/Page/applications.aspx

Alternativey if you have any questions regarding licensure or eligibiity please contact the program adminstrator:

Andrew Wassef PhD

732-640-5316 ext 115

andreww@advancedsab.com

Accreditation Status	Accreditation Period	Length of Accreditation
Accredited for Advanced GI MIS/Bariatrics/Foregut	2023-2026	3

Fellowship Opportunity # 1

Number of Positions Available: 1
Type of Fellowship: Advanced GI MIS/Bariatrics/Foregut
Duration: 1 year
Start Day: August 1
End Day: July 31
Is this a salaried position? Yes
It is a requirement that the salary must be commensurate to a PGY 6 or greater in the same city. Does your program meet this requirement? Yes
Is the salary guaranteed for the year? Yes
Is there funding available beyond salary for meeting attendance, research, etc? Yes
Is the salary dependent on call? No
Is the Fellow on call? Yes
What are the on call requirements? Fellows are required to take call at least 15 days a month
What are the estimated fellow weekly work hours? 50-60
It is a requirement that Health Insurance be provided. Do you provide health insurance to your fellows? Yes
Teaching Responsibilities: No
Courses/Academic Presentations: Yes
Does reimbursement for the above make up part of the salary? No
Does the fellowship contract include a non-compete clause? Yes

Clinical Outpatient Experience

The Fellow will be readily involved in both preoperative, operative, and postoperative care. With over one thousand cases performed annually, and follow up ensured for the life of the patient. Fellows will have exposure to a multitude of scenarios encountured in Advanced GI/MIS Bariatric anf Foregut cases.

Research/Scholarship Resources

Research is a pillar in this fellowship program. We have been able to continually secure funding for industry sponsored and NIH sponsored studies. Our focus is on obesity related diseases, mechanisms for weightloss, and program improvement studies. We expect the fellow to participate in a least one confrence and encourged to submit at least one paper to a peer reviewed journal during their training. Publication is not required but strongly encouraged.

Program Director(s) Detailed Information

Dr. Ragui W Sadek MD FACS FASMBS MAMSE

At Institution Since: 2009
Program Director Since : 2021
Board Certification: Board Certified

Society Memberships

SAGES

ACS

ASMBS

Areas of Expertise

MIS/BARIATRICS/TRAUMA

Teaching Qualifications

Chief of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery

Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health System

Director of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery

Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas University Hospital, New Brunswick NJ
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Hamilton New Jersey

Director of Adolescent Bariatric and Metabolic Program

Bristol Meyer Squibb CHildrens Hospital, New Brunswick New Jersey

Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Adjunt Professor of Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice

Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University

Principal Investigator of Sadek Labratory

Advanced Surgical Research Center, Somerset New Jersey

Fellow ACS (2008-present)

Fellow ASMBS (2006-present)

Member AHS (2010-present)

Member SAGES (2003-present)

Summary of Qualifications

Fellowship in Trama and Critical Care (2005-2006)

University of Medicine and Dentistry (UMDNJ) Newark New Jersey

Fellowship in Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery (2004-2005)

Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island New York

Resident in General Surgery (1999-2004)

Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island New York

Publication:

Anticoagulant Activity of enoxaparin and unfractionated Heparin for venous thromboembolism propholaxis in obese patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy. Surgery of obesity related diseases. http://dio.org/10.1016/j.soard.2018.12.014. Boston, M.A. 12/20/2018

Dr. Lora Melman MD FACS FASMBS

At Institution Since: 2012
Program Director Since : 2021
Board Certification: Board Certified

Society Memberships

SAGES

ACS

ASMBS

Areas of Expertise

MIS/BARIATRICS/ROBOTIC/HERNIA

Teaching Qualifications

Director of Hernia Center of NJ

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick NJ

Robotics Steering Committe Member

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick NJ

Medical Advisory Board Member

RWJ Fitness and Wellness Center, New Brunswick NJ

Fellow ASMBS (2018-present)

Fellow ACS (2018-present)

Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) (2018-present)

Member SAGES (2015-present)

Member AMA (2014-present)

Summary of Qualifications

Fellow in Advanced Laparoscopic GI Surgery & Bariatrics (2013-2014)

Saint Lukes Hospital, Kansas City MO

Resident in General Surgery (2005-2013)

Washington School of Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Saint Louis MO

Labaratory Research Fellow (2007-2010)

Under Dr. Brent Matthews PI, Section of Minimally INvasive Surgery, Washington School of Medicine, Sain Louis MO

Chapters:

Melman Lora, Matthews Brent. Chapter 26: Hernia: The Washington Manual of Surgery, 6th edition. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Philadelphia, PA 2012
Melman L, Matthews BD. Current trends in laparoscopic solid organ surgery: spleen, adrenal, pancreas, and liver. Surg Clin North Am. 2008 Oct;88(5):1033-46, vii.

Division of Time

Percentage of Time Spent in Clinical Activity: 90%
Percentage of Time Spent in Research Activity:10%

Case Load as Reported By Fellow(s)

1 Fellow(s) performed 57 cases with 71 procedures during the 2025-2026 Fellowship Year.

1 Fellow(s) performed 488 cases with 488 procedures during the 2024-2025 Fellowship Year.

List of Contributing Faculty

Ragui Sadek MD FACS FASMBS MAMSE	30%
Area of Expertise MIS/Bariatric/Hernia/Foregut/Robotic
Role in Training Mentor fellow both in clinic and OR, PD

Michael Donaire MD FACS FASMBS	10%
Area of Expertise MIS/Bariatric/foregut
Role in Training Mentor fellow both in clinic and OR

Keith King MD	10%
Area of Expertise MIS/Bariatric/Hernia/Foregut/Robotic
Role in Training Mentor fellow both in clinic and OR

Lora Melman MD FACS FASMBS	10%
Area of Expertise MIS/Bariatric/Hernia/Foregut/Robotic
Role in Training Mentor fellow both in clinic and OR, Associate PD

David You MD PhD	10%
Area of Expertise MIS/Bariatric/Hernia/Foregut/Robotic
Role in Training Mentor fellow both in clinic and OR

Karan Grover MD PharmD	10%
Area of Expertise MIS/Bariatric/Hernia/Foregut/Robotic
Role in Training Mentor fellow both in clinic and OR

Claire Terez MD	10%
Area of Expertise MIS/Bariatric/Hernia/Foregut/Robotic
Role in Training Mentor fellow both in clinic and OR

Christopher Buchholz DO MPH	10%
Area of Expertise MIS/Bariatric/Hernia/Foregut/Robotic
Role in Training Mentor fellow both in clinic and OR

Accreditation History

Director	Program	Length	Start	End
Ragui W Sadek	Advanced GI MIS/Bariatrics/Foregut	3	2023	2026